July 23, 2018 – Volunteers

         Don’t you just love them; they are often:

               Cheerful

      Bright

               Adaptable

               Dependable

      Durable

      Engaging

      Magically pop up when most needed

      Fills in without fuss

      Often a ‘work horse’ . . . .

What?  You think I am talking about someone who freely does something without pay?  NO - I am talking about Volunteer plants that grow on their own which you didn’t plant.

Volunteers grow from seeds that float in the wind, or dropped by birds, or introduced by compost. In my instance, my volunteers are from previous years plants that have dropped an abundance of seed.

They magically pop up where you didn’t plant them – and God love them! They give you amazing surprises and you just harness those that look like they belong and pull out those that don’t.  It is easier than planting, you just take what God gives you as your beginning and add to it.

I have a love affair with volunteers in my garden year round.  In early spring, I often notice volunteer violets with their dainty heart shaped leaves.  I let them grow, bloom, and seed before I yank them out.  Many come back the next season and I plan it that way.

This spring I had a delightful group of Money Penny, lunaria annua, which has a bright flower followed by pods.  Last fall I was harvesting some of my dried plants for the “Silver pods” and some stray seeds drifted into the edges of my patio gardens.  When I noticed the volunteers, I let them flourish as they gave me a grand show – unplanned – eye catching and stunning.

I rarely use “pre-emergence” on my garden soil because I like the surprise of volunteers.  I suggest you do the same and enjoy the “freebies” in your garden.  If you don’t like them, you can always pull them out when you are weeding.

Other examples that I plan for in my gardens:

Missouri Evening Primrose, Oenothera macrocarpa, is the best example in my garden.  It is a rough plant, takes up lots of room, seeds all over the place – but I simply love it on my early morning walk out my back patio and seeing those yellow flowers just closing up as they’ve been open since the evening.  I bought a roughly transplanted pot of them at a flea market about 15 years ago and plunked it in the ground.  It was lanky and bloomed. The yellow color is exquisite and I let it go to seed so that I can sprinkle the seeds around.  One thing about Missouri Evening Primrose – it loves to move around.  Give it enough sun and you have a happy plant.  Great for a back property line that gets sun – then you don’t have to worry about the mess – just enjoy the bloom when it is flowering.  The seeds are very fine – almost like dust.  So, if you want them, but don’t want a drillion volunteers I suggest you allow one or two plants to flower and set seed, but cut back the others before they set seed.  But I must warn you, just tossing seed laden plants into the wheelbarrow – they will explode and scatter easily 12 to 15 feet away - use caution.

Stachys, Lamioideae, commonly called Lamb’s ears,is soft to the touch is another one of those delightful plants. When the blooms dry and you cut them back – they too will sprinkle seed in the lawn or between cobblestones or in the crushed gravel of the drive.  Viola – you’ve lots of volunteers to move around or control.  One summer cutting back my front walk I tossed the spent blooms in the wheelbarrow and a few were dangling out the side.  I proceeded to walk to compost pile across the lawn and all along the way the motion gently knocked out the seeds.  Few months later – I had a path of little Stachy’s plants – like Hansel and Gretle crumbs from the front garden all the way around the side of the house across the back lawn and to the compost pile. 

But, today’s blog is specifically about the splendid Four O’clocks, Mirabilis, that volunteered near the front door steps.  All of them are that bright magenta color.  Every year I pick and save the black round seeds when I stroll out to my gardens in the evening.  Every spring, I usually forget to sow those seeds.  I find saving Four O’Clocks seed really isn’t necessary, as there are always much more seed that I don’t collect falling to the ground.  The fleshy plants reliably come up and I yank out most of them and let a few continue.  This year they moved down the walk toward the front door and I have 3 or 4 beautiful specimens now in full bloom.

Volunteer plants, especially sunflowers, morning glories and dill I always encourage if they are located well.

I am also delighted when I find the occasional  volunteers of purple coneflowers, bleeding hearts, periwinkle, and impatients as those are the plants that I usually buy and set out.  Those come late in the growing season and I find it fascinating their seeds can withstand our winters.

Volunteer plants in the garden should be treasured and admired for their adaptability and viability.

Utilize those robust freebies!